Saucon Valley Country Club
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Saucon Valley Country Club is a
country club A country club is a privately-owned Club (organization), club, often with a membership quota and admittance by invitation or sponsorship, that generally offers both a variety of recreational sports and facilities for dining and entertaining. Ty ...
in Upper Saucon Township in the
Lehigh Valley The Lehigh Valley () is a geography, geographic and urban area, metropolitan region formed by the Lehigh River in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Lehigh and Northampton County, Pennsylvania, Northampton counties in eastern Pennsylvania. It is a co ...
region of eastern
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
near both
Allentown Allentown may refer to: Places * Allentown, California, now called Toadtown, California * Allentown, Georgia, a city in four counties in Georgia * Allentown, Illinois, an unincorporated community in Tazewell County * Allentown, New Jersey, a boroug ...
and
Bethlehem Bethlehem is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, located about south of Jerusalem, and the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate. It had a population of people, as of . The city's economy is strongly linked to Tourism in the State of Palesti ...
. Its facilities include three 18-hole
golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, tee box, a #Fairway and rough, fairway, the #Fairway and rough, rough and other hazard (golf), hazards, and ...
s and a six-hole beginners course. The old course has hosted eight
United States Golf Association The United States Golf Association (USGA) is the United States national association of golf courses, clubs and facilities and the governing body of golf for the U.S. and Mexico. Together with The R&A, the USGA produces and interprets the rule ...
(USGA) tournaments, including the 1992, 2000, and 2022 U.S. Senior Opens. In 2009, it was the site of the
U.S. Women's Open The U.S. Women's Open is one of 15 national golf championships conducted by the United States Golf Association (USGA), is the oldest of the LPGA Tour's five major championships, which includes the Chevron Championship, Women's PGA Championship, ...
. Five years later, it was the host of the
U.S. Mid-Amateur The U.S. Mid-Amateur, often called the Mid-Am for short, is the leading annual golf tournament in the United States for post-college amateur golfers, organized by the USGA. It was first played in at Bellerive Country Club in Creve Coeur, Missour ...
. Saucon Valley Country Club is also the home site of the
Lehigh University Lehigh University (LU), in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States, is a private university, private research university. The university was established in 1865 by businessman Asa Packer. Lehigh University's undergraduate programs have been mixed ...
golf team. All three of Saucon Valley's 18-hole courses have made appearances on golf magazine rankings of top courses.


History

Saucon Valley Country Club was founded in 1920 by a group of local businessmen, mostly from
Bethlehem Steel The Bethlehem Steel Corporation was an American steelmaking company headquartered in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Until its closure in 2003, it was one of the world's largest steel-producing and shipbuilding companies. At the height of its success ...
. Architect Herbert Strong was hired to design the Saucon Course, now known as the Old Course. Construction of the course concluded in 1921, and it was opened the following year. A fire destroyed Saucon Valley's clubhouse in January 1928; construction on a replacement building began shortly after the fire, and was finished in 1929. The club elected to build a second course after
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, due to an increase in membership. William Gordon was the architect, working with his son David. The first nine holes of the Grace Course, named after founding member
Eugene Grace Eugene Gifford Grace (August 27, 1876 – July 25, 1960) was the president of Bethlehem Steel from 1916 to 1945, and chairman of the board from 1945 until his retirement in 1957. He also served as president of the American Iron and Steel Institute ...
, were finished in 1953; five years later, the last nine holes were completed. The Weyhill Course, the third 18-hole course built at the club, opened in 1968.


Courses

The Old Course used to be a 6,799-yard course, but after renovations that added more than 300 yards of length, it is now 7,129 yards with a
par Par may refer to: Finance * Par value, stated value or face value in finance and accounting * Par yield or par rate, in finance Games * Par (score), the number of strokes a proficient golfer should require to complete a hole, round or tournament ...
of 71. Among its holes are three par-fives that are more than 550 yards. The Grace Course is a 7,091-yard par 72, which '' Links Magazine'' describes as "a big hitters' paradise". The Weyhill Course is a par-72 that measures out to 7,099 yards. ,


Events hosted

The
USGA The United States Golf Association (USGA) is the United States national association of golf courses, clubs and facilities and the governing body of golf for the U.S. and Mexico. Together with The R&A, the USGA produces and interprets the rules ...
has held eight national tournaments at Saucon Valley Country Club's Old Course. The first USGA event played at Saucon Valley was the 1951
U.S. Amateur The United States Amateur Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Amateur, is the leading annual golf tournament in the United States for amateur golfers. It is organized by the United States Golf Association and is currently held each August ov ...
, which was won by future
PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also known as the PGA Tour, the PGA Tour Champion ...
player
Billy Maxwell Billy Joe Maxwell (July 23, 1929 – September 20, 2021) was an American professional golfer. Maxwell was born in Abilene, Texas. He played college golf at North Texas State College and helped them win four consecutive NCAA Division I team c ...
. In 1983, the Old Course hosted the U.S. Junior Amateur; it was won by Tim Straub. Four years later, John Richardson won the
U.S. Senior Amateur The U.S. Senior Amateur is a national tournament for amateur golf competitors at least 55 years of age. It is operated by the United States Golf Association (USGA). The tournament starts with 36 holes of stroke play, with the top 64 competitors ad ...
at the club. Saucon Valley hosted its first U.S. Senior Open, a major championship on the Senior PGA Tour (now known as the
PGA Tour Champions PGA Tour Champions (formerly the Senior PGA Tour and the Champions Tour) is a men's professional senior golf tour, open to golfers age 50 and over, administered as a branch of the PGA Tour. History and format The Senior PGA Championship, f ...
), in 1992. With a four-day total score of 275 ( nine-under-par),
Larry Laoretti Larry Laoretti (born July 11, 1939) is an American golfer. Early life Laoretti was born in Mahopac, New York. He worked for the U.S. Navy in his early adulthood. Professional career For most of his career as a golfer, Laoretti worked as a c ...
won the tournament by four
strokes Stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop ...
over
Dave Stockton David Knapp Stockton (born November 2, 1941) is an American retired professional golfer who has won tournaments on both the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour. Stockton was born in San Bernardino, California. He attended the University of Souther ...
. The U.S. Senior Open returned to Saucon Valley in 2000, when
Hale Irwin Hale S. Irwin (born June 3, 1945) is an American professional golfer. He was one of the world's leading golfers from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s. He is one of the few players in history to win three U.S. Opens, becoming the oldest ever U.S. ...
won the event by three strokes; his total score of 267 (17-under-par) broke the tournament's scoring record. In July 2009, Saucon Valley hosted the
U.S. Women's Open The U.S. Women's Open is one of 15 national golf championships conducted by the United States Golf Association (USGA), is the oldest of the LPGA Tour's five major championships, which includes the Chevron Championship, Women's PGA Championship, ...
, a major championship on the Ladies Professional Golf Association (
LPGA The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for female golfers. The organization is headquartered at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida, and is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekly ...
) Tour. South Korean
Eun-Hee Ji Ji Eun-hee (; born 13 May 1986), also known as Eun-Hee Ji, is a South Korean professional golfer who plays on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour. She is also a member of the South Korean KLPGA. She was born in Gapyeong, South Korea. LPGA career Ji joine ...
made a 20-foot birdie putt on the last hole of the tournament to win by one stroke. The course received a positive reception from players following the U.S. Women's Open. The Old and Weyhill Courses hosted the
U.S. Mid-Amateur The U.S. Mid-Amateur, often called the Mid-Am for short, is the leading annual golf tournament in the United States for post-college amateur golfers, organized by the USGA. It was first played in at Bellerive Country Club in Creve Coeur, Missour ...
in 2014. Both courses were used for the stroke play part of the competition, while the 64-man match play was held on the Old Course. Scott Harvey was the tournament's champion. Saucon Valley became the first club to host the U.S. Senior Open for a third time in 2022.
Pádraig Harrington Pádraig Peter Harrington (born 31 August 1971) is an Irish professional golfer who plays on the European Tour, PGA Tour and the PGA Tour Champions. He has won three men's major golf championships, major championships: The Open Championship in 2 ...
posted a one-stroke victory over
Steve Stricker Steven Charles Stricker (born February 23, 1967) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour and the PGA Tour Champions. He has twelve victories on the PGA Tour, including the WGC-Match Play title in 2001 WGC-Accenture Match Pla ...
. The club serves as the site of home matches for the golf team of
Lehigh University Lehigh University (LU), in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States, is a private university, private research university. The university was established in 1865 by businessman Asa Packer. Lehigh University's undergraduate programs have been mixed ...
, the college attended by
Eugene Grace Eugene Gifford Grace (August 27, 1876 – July 25, 1960) was the president of Bethlehem Steel from 1916 to 1945, and chairman of the board from 1945 until his retirement in 1957. He also served as president of the American Iron and Steel Institute ...
, the president of Bethlehem Steel when Saucon Valley Country Club was founded. On four occasions—1996, 2003, 2008, and 2013—Saucon Valley hosted the men's golf championship of Lehigh's athletic conference, the
Patriot League The Patriot League is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference comprising primarily leading Private university, private institutions of higher education and two United States service academies based in the Northeastern United ...
, which Lehigh won in 2013. The Old Course has also played host to the Pennsylvania Amateur Championship twice, in 2008 and 2013.


Other facilities

In addition to its three 18-hole courses, the club has a six-hole Short Course, which is aimed at beginning golfers. There are 16
tennis court A tennis court is the venue where the sport of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the centre. The same surface can be used to play both Types of tennis match, doubles and singles matches. A variet ...
s at the club, along with four
swimming pool A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable Human swimming, swimming and associated activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built abo ...
s. Saucon Valley also has
squash Squash most often refers to: * Squash (sport), the high-speed racquet sport also known as squash racquets * Squash (plant), the fruit of vines of the genus ''Cucurbita'' Squash may also refer to: Sports * Squash (professional wrestling), an extr ...
and platform tennis courts.


Rankings

The Old and Grace courses have appeared numerous times on golf magazine listings of leading golf courses in the U.S. In 1995 and 1997, ''
Golf Magazine ''Golf Magazine'' is a monthly golf magazine. One of the first "special interest" magazines of its kind, it was started in April 1959 by Arnold Abramson and Robert Abramson, the owners of Universal Publishing and Distributing Corporation, who sol ...
'' named the Grace Course one of the "Top 100 Courses in the U.S." The course was selected as one of "America's 100 Best Classical Courses" by ''
Golfweek ''Golfweek'' is a golf magazine and digital media outlet based in Orlando, Florida, United States. It is part of Gannett's USA Today Network. History and profile The magazine was founded in 1975 by Charley Stine and was originally named ''Florid ...
'' magazine each year from 1997 to 1999. The Old Course joined the Grace Course in ''Golf Magazine's "Top 100 Courses in the U.S." ranking in 1995;
Baltusrol Golf Club The Baltusrol Golf Club is a private 36-hole golf club in the eastern United States, located in Springfield, New Jersey, about west of New York City. It was founded in 1895 by Louis Keller. In 1985, Baltusrol became the first club to have ...
and
Winged Foot Golf Club Winged Foot Golf Club is a private golf club in the Northeastern United States, located in Mamaroneck, New York, a suburb northeast of New York City. The club was founded in 1921, by a group largely made up of members of The New York Athleti ...
are the only other private clubs that have had multiple courses on the publication's list. ''Golfweek'' placed the Old Course on its "America's 100 Best Classical Courses" annually from 1997 to 1999, along with the Grace Course. After renovations in preparation for the 2009 U.S. Women's Open, the Old Course won the 2008 Best Remodel award from ''
Golf Digest ''Golf Digest'' is a monthly golf magazine published by Warner Bros. Discovery through its TNT Sports unit. It is a generalist golf publication covering recreational golf and men's and women's competitive golf. The magazine started by John F. ...
'' magazine.


References


External links


Official website
1920 establishments in Pennsylvania Golf clubs and courses in Pennsylvania Lehigh University buildings and structures Sports venues completed in 1920 Tourist attractions in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania {{authority control